Fight Against Banditry, Mattawalle’s Marching Orders and Matters Arising
By Chidi Omeje
A curious press statement that was issued on Saturday, 31 August 2024, purportedly by the Ministry of Defence, got me thinking about a lot of things. As a matter of fact, the said statement with the caption, “MATAWALLE, CDS AND OTHER SERVICE CHIEFS TO STORM SOKOTO TO FLUSH OUT BANDITS IN THE NORTH WEST,” was all you needed to read and you will be profoundly conversant with why we are not getting a lot of things right in our counterterrorism efforts.
In that statement, the Minister of State, Mr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, was said to have “expressed his sadness over the activities of terrorists and bandits terrorizing Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kebbi states and its environs (sic)”.
The statement continued, “Consequent to this, the Honourable Minister of State has directed the Chief of Defence Staff and other military chiefs to move to sokoto which is the Headquarters of the GOC sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and kebbi states with him as part of an intensified effort by the Federal Government to rid the North West of the menace of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism (sic)”. It went on and on to narrate how they (Matawalle and Service Chiefs) will supervise operations, while there, and “ensure that Bello Turji and his Bandits gang are flushed out”.
This statement from the Ministry of Defence which I excerpted above is one of such knee-kerk, barely thought-out responses by politicians each time there is a report of incidences of kidnapping or other acts of banditry and terrorism ravaging the country, especially in the north. Mr Matawalle was obviously responding to the unfortunate incident that happened when troops’ MRAP vehicle got stuck in the marshy terrain somewhere in Sokoto, hindering their advance. Report had it that the troops came under intense fire from bandits, which triggered heavy gunfire that lasted for hours. Due to the heavy rain throughout the day, air support couldn’t arrive promptly, allowing the bandits to reinforce their position. The report had it that the troops had to withdraw, leaving behind the vehicles. Hours later, Turji and his boys appeared in the scene shooting in the sky and screaming that they dislodged the troops and took their vehicles.
Here’s Senator Shehu Sani’s take on the unfortunate incident: “The terrorist Bello Turji posting a video of a captured armoured vehicle doesn’t make him a hero or less of a criminal. Those using his propaganda images to demean the efforts and sacrifices of armed forces and the police should be reminded that even the most advanced military in the world can experience this kind of temporary setback. You must appreciate the fact that the reason why you can still sleep in your homes with your family and go about your normal lives is that there are thousands of personnel out there sacrificing their own lives and comfort for your own. Turji and his criminal gang are mass murderers, kidnappers and rapists. They will never win over our country. It’s a matter of time”. I agree with him.
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Politicians know when to seize the opportunity for undue publicity and grandstanding. Matawalle is adept at it. How else will he convince Nigerians that he is on top of the situation as Minister of State Defence if we don’t read statements such as the one he issued? How else would he convince Nigerian that the much-publicized revelation by no other person that bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, that he, Mr Matawalle, is complicit in the insecurity that has engulfed Zamfara state was not a thing? How else would he persuade Nigerians not take seriously the arrest of his former ally, Bashir Hadejia, over suspected links to terrorism financing? What else do you want him to do in these circumstances? So, one can understand where the overzealousness to storm Sokoto was coming from but the truth is that Mr Matawalle does not have the moral standing to lead any battle against bandits; no, he doesn’t.
Of a truth, I pity the military and other security forces who are made to clean up the mess that our errant politicians indulge in yet receive the hardest knocks and ordering around when the sh*t hit the fan.
So, apart from the poorly-written text, that statement by the Ministry of Defence is an exercise in showboating; it was attention-seeking and self-promoting. It was a clear attempt at arrogating to oneself or office, powers that does not exist. To start with, the Minister (and in this case, the junior Minister) does not have the constitutional remit to give marching orders to the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs; that power belongs only to the Commander-in-Chief, and is non-delegatory. What this means is that such powers or authority cannot be transferred or assigned to another person or entity. It is exercised exclusively by the C-in-C, and not even the Vice President has the right to order Service Chiefs around! And so, Mr Matawalle should be reminded that the Ministry of Defence (in which he is a junior minister) has only a supervisory role over the Service Chiefs and that supervisory role does not include giving marching orders to Nigeria’s Service Chiefs.
Furthermore, that statement which described in details how Mr Matawalle and the Service Chiefs will “storm Sokoto to flush out bandit kingpin, Bello Turji and his gang”, is an epic example of how overzealous political leaders muddle operational plans of the troops with disruptive interferences all in the name of scoring political or populist points. If not, when has the Ministry of Defence become the mouthpiece of the military which announces its operational plans? Why is it important for the Minister of State, Defence to announce to Nigeria, the plans to storm a particular area for military operations? Does the Ministry not know that by making such public announcement, bandit Bello Turji and his gang members have been adequately informed and will either prepare to take on Mr Matawalle and his team or relocate to safer sanctuary? How did this basic truth fly over the heads of the authors of that press statement which was signed by one Henshaw Oguike, Director Information and Public Relations?
Mr Matawalle must be reined in on by the Presidency before he provokes a disruption of the civil-military relations, especially the much-cherished subordination of the military to civil authorities. If he is allowed to make wrong calls and issue untenable directives, he will only end up in creating unintended consequences.
The Presidency must, as a matter of urgency, issue a disclaimer to Mr Matawalle’s press statement. In fact, I’m even surprised that the disclaimer has not been issued already! The Presidency must distance itself from that thoughtless press statement, it should ask Mr Matawalle to retract it.
*Chidi Omeje is Editor at Zagazola Media Network
